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Regular visitors must have been quite familiar with the “Free $2 Samples” zone on the homepage of DHgate.com. To meet the dynamic demands of our buyers, now this zone has been significantly upgraded: more items have been introduced and an exclusive search option “Rock-Bottom Specials” has been added to the search filtering section on each category’s item listing page.

The “Rock-Bottom Specials” program is one of our latest attempts to enhance our buyers’ purchase experience on DHgate.com. It was developed with 2 major purposes:

First, to standardize the sample ordering service. All items listed in “Rock-Bottom Specials” do not require a minimum order quantity (MOQ), which means you can order any item there from 1 piece only. As we know, placing bigger orders can be accompanied by bigger risk considering the cost. But before you go directly for big orders, if you could place a small order to test on the quality of the item and service, the risk can be reduced to the minimum. In “Rock-Bottom Specials”, the unbeatable prices and the MOQ-free policy make it possible that you spend very little money to get a trial purchase experience before you decide to place bigger orders.

Second, to make it easier and more feasible for buyers to try on new product line. Basically, most buyers focus on one or two product lines in their resale business. But chances are a new product line may bring a lot more resale margins, so it is important to keep trying on new product lines. In “Rock-Bottom Specials”, newly released items are constantly added. Besides, all items there are offered not only at rock-bottom prices, but also with the lowest-cost shipping methods like HK Post, both of which can greatly minimize the entire cost of your trial purchase.

If a small sum of money can help you find out a huge profit-earning opportunity, why not give it a try?

For buyers with small businesses, the margin of profit after deducting delivery cost is probably a top concern when it comes to online overseas purchasing. In most cases, since small businesses can only afford to purchase small packages, it is unlikely that they are able to compete with big players who save more through large-scaled purchasing. Yet on DHgate, things seem to be different. The rich selection of products has made it possible for retailers and small wholesalers to scoop big margins, by filling the mailing package with a smart selection of small but very profitable gadgets.

In the cell phone accessories section, you can find numerous small products of this kind—cell phone cases and pouches, screen protective film, cell phone data cables, and a lot more. These items are of equally great quality as those seen in your home country, but you might be stunned by their much lower prices. Also, since most of them are original Chinese brand products, there will be no such legal problems such as being detained by customs.

In the case of cell phone protective film purchasing, suppose that the unit price is 0.9USD on DHgate and the delivery fee is 20USD (the real situation might vary with specific cases). Obviously a single protective film is in no means worth a 20USD delivery. But if you purchase 100 pieces one time, the wholesale price might be cut to a cheaper 0.8USD per piece. This means that including the 20USD delivery fee the unit cost of protective film has been lowered from 21USD to 1USD (as long as the total weight doesn’t exceed a certain level, say, 0.5kg). You can also choose to mix your order with other accessories like cell phone cases, batteries, stylus pens, pendants, etc. to make the most use of the space.

When it comes to cell phone accessories purchasing, you have many choices over different brands, prices, materials and featured services.

Staying up to the minute on the hottest trends, opportunities and deals can be make or break when it comes to running a small business, so here at DHgate we are doing everything we can to keep our users ahead of the curve in the most dynamic ways possible. Our interactive Facebook and Twitter pages allow users to become a part of the growing DHgate online community of buyers dedicated to getting the most out of online wholesale trade with China.

With the motto “The Gateway to Opportunity”, DHgate’s Facebook fanpage and Twitter account cover everything from the hottest product offerings, the latest promotions and site innovations, and breaking industry news to expert insights, marketing know-how and business case studies. By keeping subscribers in the know, our updates are designed to give fans and followers of DHgate the edge.

The carefully selected posts are sourced from all over the web to bring members the most important highlights to help them grow their businesses and get the best deals. The pages are also great places to reach out to other buyers – either to ask questions, share experiences, hear opinions or add to your network.

With exciting new additions planned to be launched on our Facebook and Twitter pages very soon, why not sign up today and be the first to benefit.

For online sellers, choosing carriers and shipping options wisely might save you big bucks. For example, if you send a 5 ounce package via U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail; including the delivery confirmation and shipping box, the current fee is $5.65 (flat rate for packages under 1 pound), while First-Class mail, with delivery confirmation included, costs only $2.70 plus $0.20 for a purchased mailer—this means almost 50% savings! For online retailers and wholesalers, multiple the savings times the number of your orders to get an ideal of how much you can save.
Calculate shipping rates on line
One way is to use the online delivery cost calculators provided by FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service. In each case you will be required to enter your ship-from and ship-to zip code, residential or commercial classification, package weight and package size (height, width, length).

In the case of FedEx and UPS, you can choose daily pick-up service or choose to drop off the package at a local retail location. The pick-up service rates are cheaper, but you will have to pay an annual fee from $468 to $ 936, based on your shipping volume.

The package dimensions are used to calculate the package density in terms of pounds per cubic foot. If the density is too low, “DIM” weight (dimensional weight) instead of the actual weight will be used for pricing. Some other surcharges below may also be added:

Residential delivery surcharge: Currently $2.05 for both FedEx and UPS ground delivery;

Delivery confirmation: U.S. Postal Service charges $.80 for First Class, $.70 for Priority Mail; and

Insurance: U.S. Postal Service charges $2.25 for about the same coverage as provided free by FedEx and UPS.

You can also use a spreadsheet
Here’s a simplified spreadsheet of shipping rates published on June 25, 2009. Please note that some data may change as time goes on. This sheet can help you quickly find the best shipping method for a specific order. This chart is based on residential ground delivery at retail rates and includes postal delivery confirmations. You can make some changes to it per your needs.

Having been an online business dealer, you may be considering moving offline and opening a retail store. However, without any retail or one-on-one sales experience you may find it hard to start. Here we would like to share some retailers’ experience.

1). Do retail shops have to purchase all their inventory ahead of time or are there any situations where the stores can stock inventory and pay later down the road? Such as once it’s been sold?

It all depends on the norms for the particular industry. The most general case is that retailers pay for their goods on 15 or 30 day terms. New retailers may find it difficult to get lines of credit from some vendors, and may be stuck paying by credit card or COD (cash on delivery).

In some industries, allowing unsold inventory to be returned is the norm, in others it never happens.

At the beginning, you should try some samples to see whether your supplier is reliable and the whole buy-and-sell flow flexible. As your business grows, try more samples and increase inventory to diversify your product lines.

Keeping a balance between your products in stock and the speed of capital flows will lower your business risk.

2). Where do most everyday local retail shops get their products? From wholesale distributors or manufacturers?

It depends on what industry you are in. In some industries, goods are received directly from the manufacturer and in others, the manufacturer prefers to deal with distributors. Read More

People today are becoming increasingly dependent on websites to find the best prices for even their most basic needs. Approximately $4 billion is being spent on eBay every month by its millions of users and many entrepreneurs would like just a small proportion of that! Starting any new business is a difficult task so here are a few helpful tips we have put together to help you start a successful eBay business.

What to Sell?

The most important part when starting an eBay business is to research product trends. This will give you an idea of what is most likely to sell quickly and profitably. How do you find this out? EBay has created the “eBay Pulse”, where you can find the Top 10 Popular Searches and the 10 Most Watched Items. Widen your “what’s hot” search to other popular shopping sites, such as Amazon, to understand the trends further.

Like most market trends, what’s ‘hot’ and what’s ‘not’ is constantly changing. Paying regular attention to market reports will give you a head start when it comes to finding seasonal products. For hot-selling items, the competition is likely to be stiffer so remember to stick with a distinctive product line, which you believe will dominate the market. When you decide to develop your product base on eBay, choose new products that will accompany or enhance your current choice. This way, you will be targeting the same market. Read More

Why you and not your competitor?
There might be numerous potential customers visiting your online store to compare your offering with one of your competitors. Unfortunately they won’t necessarily find much difference between you and your competitors, so they just pass by. Ask yourself the toughest question: why should they choose me?

Present your products in the best possible way
The number one step is to make your store impressive enough for your potential customers by using appealing and clear images, videos, explicit descriptions, and by clarifying the critical points that concern buyers most. This will help buyers make their purchasing decisions without necessarily seeking confirmation from you. Good presentation helps retain potential customers and convert them into real buyers. Detailed descriptions can also bring more trust to your products.

Good customer services add value to your products
Competing on price requires very competitive sourcing channels, which can sometimes be a challenge for small and medium businesses. Where small businesses can compete more easily than the big boys is in the area of customized services; and this doesn’t necessarily mean additional investment. Keep close contact with your buyers and inform them of new arrivals in your store that they might be interested in. Never underestimate the power of word of mouth. If you are patient and responsive to the enquiry, as well active and pleasant when any problem occurs, your customers will remember you and are likely to come back in the future.

Never say “I’m sorry, but…”
This might be the most frustrating words a customer can hear. It is easy for them to turn to your competitors if you can’t provide more selection or customized services. In fact, most of the time a customer is unlikely to be unreasonable if you are communicative and their requirements are eventually met, just as long as you are patient and flexible. Let them know that you are worth what you charge and persuade them to work with you in finding a solution to complete their purchase.

Customer reviews add a new dimension of trust
Customer reviews and testimonials can greatly help lower shopping cart abandonment and enhance overall revenue. For buyers, peer feedback is very powerful and instructional. Build a complete customer review system and take the advantage of any customer reviews you already own to fuel your future sales.

Look further afield for inventory sources
During negotiations, you might use the line that you are ”not making anything on this deal”, but hopefully that is not true. These days, sourcing directly from Chinese suppliers can greatly increase profit margins for small online businesses. By using a transactional marketplace like DHgate.com, buyers can select and purchase small volumes at a high frequency under the protection of its inbuilt security system – minimizing risk and maximizing cost-efficiencies.

Today’s market is unprecedentedly competitive, but you have chance to win the battle and succeed in your business, as long as you can put yourself into your customers’ shoes and be sharp-sighted to find profitable sources.

DHgate is now offering free shipping on a wide range of sample products at very low wholesale prices. This Free Shipping $2 Samples Zone enables buyers to purchase one single piece of any of the items therein for wholesale prices low as 2 USD, without any additional costs.

At the top right of the DHgate Homepage, you can find an access to the Free Shipping $2 Samples Zone (see above, abbreviated as $2 Free Samples).

This zone aims to provide DHgate’s buyers, especially those who are new to DHgate, with a nearly zero-risk purchasing experience on DHgate, and to help them find out valuable products and explore new business opportunities.

To optimize your purchase experience, we have recently upgraded our checkout flow. Please make yourself familiar with the important changes below in case any misunderstanding occurs.

1. Now you can Save (items) for Later

On the “Shopping Cart” page, you’ll find a newly added function called “Save for later”. If you don’t want to purchase an in-cart item right away but may want it next time, click the “Save for later” button. The item will be moved from the “Cart Items – To Buy Now” to the “Saved Items – To Buy Later” list.

Whenever you want to pay the saved order, just log into your account and before you proceed to checkout, move the order from “Saved Items – To Buy Later” to”Cart Items – To Buy Now” by clicking the “Move to cart” button.

2. You can Register or Sign in after adding items to Shopping Cart

If you haven’t registered or logged in when you find a desired product, you can put it into your Shopping Cart first. Then, when you go to your Shopping Cart and proceed to Checkout, a pop-out box will ask you to “register” or “sign in”.

3. You can choose from the Four Latest Addresses

Now, when you go to the “Address” step, if you already added one or more shipping addreses to your account, you will be shown with up to four latest used shipping addresses. You can either choose any of them by ticking it off as your shipping address, or use a completely different new address by clicking the “Enter new address” button.

4. You can Make Adjustments on Submit Order page and you must Submit Order to Get Order Number

On the “Submit Order” page, you are allowed to make some necessary adjustments on information like Address or Shipping Method. For example, by clicking the “Edit Shipping/Billing Address” button, you will then be directed back to the Address page (see above) where you can edit the address you’ve chosen, or choose/enter another address.

And most importantly, do remember to click the “Submit Order” button at the bottom to go to the Payment page. Only by then can you get the Order Number (PO#).

Get multimedia resources with DHgate on our Facebook fan page. Here you will find a free one-stop-shop for all exciting news, offers, insights, advice and tools to help your business grow. As a DHgate Fan you are at the hub for all the happenings at DHgate and – be sure to join us here soon, we have a whole host of great value-added options soon to be uploaded including, webinars, podcasts, articles, and much more! Also, we would like very much to hear your suggestions and your own experiences on DHgate.

Follow our microblog on Twitter, and you can learn (in 140 characters or less!) about the latest promotions and retail trends. You can also get frequent tips from our experts on product and store marketing, industry opportunities, and our CEO Diane Wang’s advice on how to make it as an entrepreneur.

The GATE WAY Blog

Our Facebook, Twitter and Corporate Blog can all lead you to The GATE WAY Blog. Expert entrepreneur and DHgate CEO, Diane Wang, shares honest insights and advice with other entrepreneurs around the world in her candid blog here . Her interesting posts include details about her personal experiences starting two successful start-ups and clear guidance on how to get the most out of direct trade with China.

All the above social networks and blogs could give your business a sheer inspiration. Why not join us today?

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All text and photographs provided on this site is for informational purposes only. DHgate is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. Reader discretion is advised before making any decisions based on the information from this site. No compensation will be awarded for any loss, inconvenience and/or damage from information obtained from this site. Opinions and viewpoints expressed in this blog are entirely personal to the author. Trademarked names, logos and other proprietary information quoted on this site are property of respective companies/owners and are mentioned here for reference purposes only. Precautions have been taken to protect third party identities. If you see content on this site that belongs to you and wish to have it removed, please send your request to
blogadmin@dhgate.com.

Blog Page Disclaimer

All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. DHgate makes
no representations as to accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on
this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any
losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an
as-is basis. Reader discretion is advised before making any decisions based on the information
from this site. No compensation will be awarded for any loss, inconvenience and/or damage
from information obtained from this site. Opinions and viewpoints expressed in this blog are
entirely personal to the author. Trademarked names, logos and other proprietary information
quoted on this site are property of respective companies/owners and are mentioned here for
reference purposes only. Precautions have been taken to protect third party identities. If your
name or photo has appeared on this site and you wish to have it removed, please send your r
equest to prc@dhgate.com.